1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a system for providing resources to wireless communication devices, and more specifically to a system for controlling the admission policies of a registered short-range private wireless network in view of predetermined operational modes in order to create a semi-private access point enabled to conditionally admit visitor devices.
2. Description of Prior Art
Modern society has quickly adopted, and become reliant upon, handheld devices for wireless communication. For example, cellular telephones continue to proliferate in the global marketplace due to technological improvements in both the quality of the communication and the functionality of the devices. These wireless communication devices (WCDs) have become commonplace for both personal and business use, allowing users to transmit and receive voice, text and graphical data from a multitude of geographic locations. The communication networks utilized by these devices span different frequencies and cover different transmission distances, each having strengths desirable for various applications.
Cellular networks facilitate WCD communication over large geographic areas. These network technologies have commonly been divided by generations, starting in the late 1970s to early 1980s with first generation (1G) analog cellular telephones that provided baseline voice communications, to modern digital cellular telephones. GSM is an example of a widely employed 2G digital cellular network communicating in the 900 MHZ/1.8 GHZ bands in Europe and at 850 MHz and 1.9 GHZ in the United States. This network provides voice communication and also supports the transmission of textual data via the Short Messaging Service (SMS). SMS allows a WCD to transmit and receive text messages of up to 160 characters, while providing data transfer to packet networks, ISDN and POTS users at 9.6 Kbps. The Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), an enhanced messaging system allowing for the transmission of sound, graphics and video files in addition to simple text, has also become available in certain devices. Soon emerging technologies such as Digital Video Broadcasting for Handheld Devices (DVB-H) will make streaming digital video, and other similar content, available via direct transmission to a WCD. While long-range communication networks like GSM are a well-accepted means for transmitting and receiving data, due to cost, traffic (e.g., Quality of Service, or QoS, issues related to the large number of users) and legislative concerns, these networks may not be appropriate for all data applications.
Short-range wireless networks provide communication solutions that avoid some of the problems seen in large cellular networks. Bluetooth™ is an example of a short-range wireless technology quickly gaining acceptance in the marketplace. A Bluetooth™ enabled WCD may transmit and receive data rates from 720 Kbps up to 2-3 Mbps within a range of 10 meters, and may transmit up to 100 meters with additional power boosting. A user does not actively instigate a Bluetooth™ network. Instead, a plurality of devices within operating range of each other will automatically form a network group called a “piconet”. Any device may promote itself to the master of the piconet, allowing it to control data exchanges with up to seven “active” slaves and 255 “parked” slaves. Active slaves exchange data based on the clock timing of the master. Parked slaves monitor a beacon signal in order to stay synchronized with the master, and wait for an active slot to become available. These devices continually switch between various active communication and power saving modes in order to transmit data to other piconet members. In addition to Bluetooth™ other popular short-range wireless networks include WLAN (of which “Wi-Fi” local access points communicating in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard, is an example), WUSB, UWB, ZigBee (802.15.4, 802.15.4a), and UHF RFID. All of these wireless mediums have features and advantages that make them appropriate for various applications.
More recently, manufacturers have also begun to incorporate various resources for providing enhanced functionality in WCDs (e.g., components and software for performing close-proximity wireless information exchanges). Sensors and/or scanners may be used to read visual or electronic information into a device. A transaction may involve a user holding their WCD in proximity to a target, aiming their WCD at an object (e.g., to take a picture) or sweeping the device over a printed tag or document. Machine-readable technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID), Infra-red (IR) communication, optical character recognition (OCR) and various other types of visual, electronic and magnetic scanning are used to quickly input desired information into the WCD without the need for manual entry by a user.
The myriad of functionality previously described may be utilized to provide wireless service to WCD users regardless of their current location. In many cases, short-range wireless service is provided by a business or governmental entity (e.g., coffee shop, library, school, restaurant, etc.) for their patrons, allowing them to access the Internet or other related services while patronizing the establishment. However, short-range wireless network access is inherently limited in that it only covers a limited area. Users not patronizing the aforementioned establishments are frequently left with only the long-range wireless support for their networked applications (e.g., email, instant messaging, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), audio and video streaming, videoconferencing, FTP, etc.) While a viable solution, long-range wireless support may not work indoors, and may be subject to governmental regulation that perpetuates it as an expensive solution to utilize regularly.
Some enterprising businesses have sought to leverage private short-range wireless access point sharing in a communal format. For example, companies like OpenSpark Ltd. of Finland (http://open.sparknet.fi) are building a community of people willing to share access to their personal network in return for access to the short-range wireless networks of other users. In this way, a person might be able to access resources like the Internet from remote locations with no (or minimal) additional cost. A person's home access point (e.g., a wireless router) may also be accessed by other community members, making more efficient use of wireless bandwidth a user has already purchased to provide wireless broadband high-speed access while in the home.
There are both benefits and drawbacks to this system. An obvious benefit is the ability to access wireless resources via short-range communication in areas other than the home, effectively converting the sunk expense a user pays into a solution that provides much larger coverage. However, a user must allow other people to use their home system, which may cause problems of bandwidth depletion if multiple “visitors” are also logged on while a user is at home. There are also security considerations when computer-savvy users are granted access to a user's home system. The home user must be aware of the potential for attacks on their sensitive and/or confidential information when they are utilizing a wireless high-speed broadband connection in their home while simultaneously granting access to visiting wireless users.
What is therefore needed is a way to control the mode of a private short-range wireless network when it is being shared between a home user and various visiting users (visitors). The shared network should be able to identify when, for example, a home user is on the network, and should adjust its operation accordingly per predetermined operational rules. Further, the network should be able to identify when security concerns exist, and should be able to enter a safe mode in order to protect the sensitive and/or confidential information of the user.